


Never Could Stand The Cold

by Tygermama



Series: The North/West series [1]
Category: The Magnificent Seven, due South
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-06
Updated: 2008-10-05
Packaged: 2017-10-02 16:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tygermama/pseuds/Tygermama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Original Summary: A funny thing happened on the way for coffee, and the man with all the answers is Buck Frobisher.</p><p>New Summary: Buck Wilmington meets Buck Frobisher and discovers that his mother kept a secret about his father, and a brother she never knew he had.</p><p>A huge thank you to my beta, bookaddict43 on LJ.  Thank you so much, sweetie!</p><p>Additional comma wrangling by catyah!</p><p>I have restored this fic to it's original form, seven chapters.  Having it all as one fic really wasn't any easier to read.  My apologies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Vin got back to JD's room, the first thing he did was call Chris. He leaned up against the wall, gazing at JD, asleep in the hospital bed. He wished the younger man was awake so he could make JD be the one to tell Chris what had just happened. Vin shook his head, annoyed with his own cowardice and started muttering under his breath as the rings began. "Come on, come on, pick up."

Chris was just pouring himself the last of the coffee when his phone began to ring. His eyebrows raised when he recognized Vin's cell number. "Vin? Kinda late to be calling, isn't it?" he said, wondering what the hell was going on. _They better not need bail money. They still owe me from last time._

Vin sighed and said, "Pard, I think you need to come to the hospital right now." _Best to just get this over with. Gonna sound crazy now matter how I put it._

"What happened? Is JD okay?" Chris frowned. _Stupid hockey game, when are they going to learn?_ He slipped on his boots and grabbed his coat and keys.

"JD's jest fine. It's Buck. He needs a friend right now and I promised him I'd stay with JD." Vin ran his fingers through his hair and tried to relax. He started a bit when JD snorted in his sleep and shifted position. _Strung tighter than a wire fence, I need to calm down._

"Why?" Chris asked, hopping into his truck.

In the background Vin could hear Chris's truck start. Vin looked up at the ceiling. _Where to start? _"He ran into this old man, getting coffee, says he knew Buck's ma."

"And?" Chris pulled out of his driveway, fingers already tapping the wheel impatiently.

Vin winced a little, knowing Chris was not going to like this. "Man says he knew Buck's pa too."

"Shit," Chris whispered.

"And, well..." Vin hedged a little.

Chris frowned and started to lean on the accelerator. "There's more?" he asked.

"There's this guy laid up here, spitting image of Buck, old man says he's Buck's brother." Vin sat down in the chair by JD's bed with a thump. _And since I've seen him, I can't really help but think it's true._

Vin winced as he heard Chris swear.

"Let me get this straight," Chris said, "Buck met this old man in the hospital, says he knew Buck's ma and Buck's pa, and Buck now has a brother, and you and Buck _believed_ him?"

Vin shrugged helplessly and said, "Well yeah, we believed him, he's a Mountie, everyone knows Mounties don't lie."


	2. Chapter 2

_Several hours earlier..._

Ray didn't know whether to be pissed or surprised. He wasn't pissed at Fraser _much_, because he had been right there with him when the scaffolding started to collapse in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Ray had been a sucker for dinosaurs since he was little and, for once, actually wanted to go to a museum.

He had seen that it really hadn't been anyone's fault that Fraser had gotten clocked on the head by a piece of falling _Allosaurus_ while trying to help a kid get out of the way. That really hadn't surprised him, 'cause he was certain that someone back at the 2-7 had "Fraser gets concussion from piece of falling dinosaur" in the "what weird shit happens to them next" pool. But did the nurses in Denver have to giggle so much?

Ray had been surprised when the emergency room nurses just backed down and let him in when he told them he was Fraser's partner. Which was a pleasant surprise, really. However, ever since they got there, the nurses had been pointing and giggling at Fraser when they thought Ray wasn't looking. Ray was used to women -- and some men -- staring at Fraser and all other kinds of reactions, but mass giggling in the not-pre-teen-girl set was a new one. He hadn't really noticed that it was happening until the doctor had finally given the "he has a concussion, but it doesn't seem to be too serious, we'll keep him here until he wakes up" speech and he calmed down. He decided to get to the bottom of this giggling thing before he got really pissed off.

Ray started with the older, competent looking nurse that had started to prep Fraser to be moved for observation.

"So, ah, um, Debbie?" Ray said, squinting at her name tag.

"Yes, my name is Debbie, what can I do for you? Kinda busy right now," she said, glancing meaningfully at Fraser.

"Sorry, don't got my glasses on me. Look, I have a couple of questions..."

Debbie nodded. "Don't worry about your friend here. He has a concussion, but we've dealt with these before, at this point there's really nothing we..."

"Thanks, thanks, really, this ain't our first concussion, but that's real reassuring. What I wanted to know was, why is everybody laughing at my partner? I know traumatic brain injuries caused by dinosaur parts aren't that common, but it seems a bit unprofessional, you know?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize that it was disturbing you," she said, blushing a little. "We didn't mean to upset you, it's just your friend here, he looks a lot like this guy who's in here all the time. We just got to speculating on just how much alike -- umm, sorry. I'll tell the girls to knock it off. Okay?"

Ray snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, no worries. I'm used to people staring at Frase here, but the room full of grown women giggling at him was a bit freaky."

Debbie quirked an eyebrow at Ray, "Your friend gets stared at a lot, does he?"

Ray smiled at her. "Yeah, his animal magnetism is such a curse."

When Debbie lost it and started laughing so hard she doubled over, Ray didn't quite know what to make of it. He didn't think the joke was that funny.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ow, ow, ow, OW! Dammit, Buck, let me go!" JD's complaint was loud enough to draw looks from all over the thankfully quiet emergency room.

Buck continued to drag JD along, gripping his jacket tightly. "Only you, JD," he said, "only you could play three periods of hockey with guys twice your size and then fall and break your wrist in the shower!"

Vin strolled in after them, sniggering. "Hey now, Buck, I slammed my shoulder, it's not like JD's the only one who got hurt tonight."

"You got hurt playing hockey. He got hurt in the shower when that Team Two baboon shoved him! There's a big difference!" Buck fumed.

"He wasn't trying to hurt me, Buck, we were just goofing off. I wouldn't have fallen down except the floor was wet. " JD pulled himself away from Buck and straightened his jacket. "Ow, except now we're down two players. I really wanted to kick Team Three's ass this year."

In fact, the young man who had accidentally knocked JD down hadn't stopped apologizing until they had left the arena. The Denver division of the ATF had an informal league between the teams, and this was the first time that Team Seven had been poised to win, mostly because their star goalie wasn't away on an undercover assignment. Team Three had become so obnoxious about their victories that no one really cared who won this year, as long as it wasn't them. It had gotten so bad that Team Six had offered to take a case off Chris's hands, just so Ezra would be free to tend net. Judge Travis was going to forbid it until he found out why, then he asked Ezra if Team Six's undercover guy would be able to do as good a job on the case as he could. When the judge was satisfied that public safety wasn't going to be jeopardized, he wisely turned a blind eye to the whole thing and went off to make a couple of quiet bets.

Buck just shook his head and waved his two friends off, spying their favourite nurse. "Debbie! Darlin', you're a ray of beauty and sanity in this crazy world! Tell me you'll run away with me, away from all this trouble and strife, just the two of us," he said, grasping both of Debbie's hands in his and holding them to his chest. "I know this great little place in Baja, just you, me, a hammock, and a pitcher of margaritas. Can't ya just see it?" He tilted his head and fluttered his eyelashes in his best come-hither fashion.

"Oh, Buck, you're so full of crap." Debbie pulled her hands away and enveloped Buck in a big hug, "I'm on the tail end of a double shift and look horrible, but Baja sounds really good. Why don't you give me directions and Jeff and I will send you a postcard."

Buck put his hands over his heart and affected a wounded pose. "I can't believe you'd rather run away with your husband than me. But if I can't persuade you to run away with me, can I at least get you to look over my two wounded friends here?" He pointed over to Vin and JD, who were laughing at Buck's display.

Debbie sighed and shook her head. "What did the children do this time? I thought you guys were taking it easy until the big hockey tournament was over." Debbie's husband was a firearms tech for the ATF and she had heard all about the plot to take Team Three down.

"I bruised my shoulder a bit getting checked into the boards playing Team Two tonight," Vin said, stepping over and looking around. "You guys got an empty house for a change, must be nice."

"It's quiet now, but you should have been here earlier," she said, waving Vin over to an empty bed. "And what did you do to yourself this time, JD?"

JD walked over and held his arm out to her. "Hey, I resent that, I don't get hurt as much as the others do." Debbie cautiously examined his right arm. "No," she said, "you just tear around on that death trap you call a motorcycle. You're going to have to be sent up to X-ray for this, I'll have to page the doctor. You never did answer my question, you know."

"Promise you won't laugh?" JD looked sheepish. "I slipped in the shower after the game."

Debbie chuckled. "Relax, JD, that isn't the weirdest thing I've seen today. There was an accident over at the science museum, some little kids got into the new display and the scaffolding started to come down. Some tourists from Canada went after them, none of the kids got hurt, but one of the rescuers got a concussion from a piece of falling dinosaur." Debbie smiled and patted him on his left shoulder as she guided him over to the bed beside Vin. "He looked a lot like you actually, Buck. We couldn't get over it, kept giggling at the poor man."

Buck preened a little. "He may have looked like me, but there's no way he had my ineffable charm."

"I dunno, Buck," Debbie said, and gave JD and Vin a sly look, "there's something to be said about a guy who can keep his mouth shut.""She's got a point there, Buck," Vin chimed in with a laugh.

"It doesn't count when you're unconscious!" Buck pretended to be indignant.

Debbie walked over to the admissions desk and came back with two clipboards. "Here, let's all be clever and witty and fill out these forms at the same time, and I'll call the doctor. We were so slow, we sent him for coffee. There were a lot of scared kids and parents in here this afternoon, he deserved a break." She handed one to Vin and the other to Buck.   
"Hey, why did you give him my clipboard?" JD reached out for it, winced and pulled his hand back against his chest. "Nevermind."

"I thought you said it wasn't that bad," Vin said, not liking the idea of kids getting hurt.

"Injury-wise, it wasn't," Debbie reassured him. "Just scared kids, worried parents and a lot of frazzled nerves. Dr Franklin spent most of his time telling people everything was okay. That Canadian guy was the worst injury, which reminds me, his partner said to be on the lookout for their friend, some older guy who was going to be coming in on his own. Bringing the car and the wolf, he said, but I must have misheard some of it. I mean, a _wolf_?"

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The wolf in question was completely disgusted. First there was the indignity of being denied entrance to the museum.

_"Sir, I'm afraid that dogs aren't allowed in the museum unless they are service animals. Are any of your party blind?"_

"Well, no, but Diefenbaker has always tried to be of service to his fellow creatures of the earth and has assisted me in..."

"So, not a service animal then? I'm sorry, he is not allowed in, that's the rules."

"Oh, dear..."

"Come on, Frase? 'Fellow creatures of the earth'? Dief, sorry man, uh, wolf, but they are probably scared you'll make off with a Triceratops femur, or something. Behave and I'll get you a donut when we're done."

Then his human had gotten himself injured _again_ when he wasn't there to watch out for the silly creature. And now he was stuck in the car with the older, sillier creature while his humans went to the hospital.

So far, Sgt Frobisher, retired, had gotten lost three times, driven by many donut shops, completely oblivious to Dief's overtures to stop and get sustenance, and had stopped a mugging, which was all right with Dief, because he got to chase someone.

At long last, Frobisher pulled the car into the parking lot.

"Wait, this doesn't look like a hospital."

_That's because it isn't,_ Dief thought.

"In fact, this appears to be our hotel."

_You are a master of the obvious, Sergeant,_ Dief, who tended to get snippy when hungry, thought.

"Hmph." The sergeant pulled the rental into their assigned parking space and walked into the lobby.

The girl at the front desk recognized him, "Sgt Frobisher, I hope you're enjoying your stay in Denver?" Frobisher removed his hat and smiled. "You have a very beautiful city, dear lady, but my young friend was in an accident this afternoon, and I find myself needing to get to the hospital to see him. If you would be so kind, could you call me a taxi?"


	4. Chapter 4

Buck Frobisher was lost again, in the hospital. He really couldn't understand how he could survive catching miscreants on the tundra but couldn't navigate the halls of a building in the middle of a major metropolis. He was standing in front of a display purporting to be a map when he heard a voice behind him.

"Excuse us, sir, you're blocking the way."

There was a young man with black hair and a pained expression in a wheelchair, being pushed by a very pretty nurse. A seasoned outdoorsman with shoulder-length light brown hair was standing next to them. Frobisher stepped back against the wall and gestured for the group to pass with his hat. "Terribly sorry, I was just trying to find my friend's location on this supposed map. He has been admitted for observation."

The nurse smiled, "I'm afraid you're in the wrong part of the hospital, this is the medical imaging department. If you wait a minute, I'll drop off JD here, and give you directions."

"Hey, there's no big rush, my arm isn't going to get less broke, which room's your friend in?" the black-haired man spoke up, and his eyes held a helpful look. Frobisher wasn't fooled; he knew a delaying tactic when he saw one.

The outdoorsman said, "JD, it's nice you want to help this fella out and all, but you need your arm checked out." His tone of voice left no doubt that he realized what his friend was trying to do as well.

"But, Vin..."

"I promised Buck, he had to go call Chris. You need an x-ray."

"Your friend is right, young man, I've learned the hard way through the years that putting off health-related matters only leads to unpleasantness. Why, I remember this one nurse in Inuvik, if you upset her at all, she would give you a sponge bath with ice water, and believe you me, there are places ice water should not go," he said emphatically. He noticed the nurse had kindly turned her head into her shoulder, as to avoid sniggering directly into his face, and the two young men had a distinctly glazed look about them. "I apologize, that was perhaps too much information, please don't let me keep you."

"Oh no, I want to know what you did that she gave you an ice water bath, if that's okay, mister," the nurse laughed. "Why don't you walk with us?"

"Sgt Buck Frobisher, retired, at your service, miss," he transferred his hat to his left hand and took her hand in his right, raising it to his mouth for a kiss.

"I'm Nicole. I didn't realize that they still made men this gallant in the Army."

The outdoorsman held out his hand. "Vin Tanner," he said with a nod, "and I'm betting that the sergeant here is a Mountie."

"Hi! I'm JD Dunne, and I'd shake hands but," the black-haired one smiled sheepishly and gestured to his arm. "Is Vin right? Are you really a Mountie? Vin, how could you tell he's a Mountie? He's got no uniform on, of course, he wouldn't cause he's retired..."

"His hat, JD, look at his hat." Vin interrupted him before things could get out of hand.

"Oh, right, his hat," JD craned his head to get a better look.

Frobisher put his hat back on. "There, now you can see it better, and yes, I am, well, _was_ a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, I came here to Denver with my friends on vacation, and for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, I have come to the hospital to check on the health of my injured companion."

"Mountie on vacation," JD whispered to himself. "Hey, your friend, is he the guy that got hurt at the museum?"

"Well, yes, Benton was struck on the head by a piece of Allosaurus, a vertebra I believe, while helping the children to safety. His partner, Ray, came with him in the ambulance. I was to follow in the car, but I became lost and ended up taxiing here." The sergeant stepped back as Nicole began to push JD down the hall.

Vin looked appraisingly at Frobisher. "Yeah, we heard about it in the emergency room. Debbie said something about a wolf?"

"That would be Diefenbaker; he was most put out that he could not join me in the hospital. I had to leave him outside. I'm afraid after not being allowed in the museum this afternoon, well, the whole day had put him in something of a temper." Frobisher fell in beside Vin as they followed JD and Nicole down the hall. "But you had asked me about the nurse in Inuvik. Well, on one occasion, I was injured in a dog sled accident when my partner and I had been tracking Francis "Big Moose" Carter, we believed that he was the key link in a smuggling operation..."

"Smuggling what?" JD asked.

"Olestra caviar." Frobisher replied. "Now, Big Moose was famous for his blinis..."

 

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Buck trudged down the hall. It had been a long day, and having to top the whole thing off by explaining to Chris how two of his agents had gotten hurt had not been fun. It didn't help any that Chris couldn't skate worth a damn and thought hockey was a stupid sport, a fact that he didn't advertise in front of his rather hockey-crazed teammates. Buck needed coffee.

"Vin is fine," he muttered to himself. "Really fine, not the usual fine. Shoulder bruised, he'll be fine for the next game. JD has a broke wrist, doc's says he's got to stay until the swelling goes down and they'll know if they have to operate," he said, unconsciously replaying his conversation with Chris.

Chris had not been happy to hear that JD could be stuck at a desk for six to eight weeks, especially with Nathan out of town with his wife and unavailable to deal with the medical stuff for them. Nathan hadn't wanted to leave in the middle of the season, but he and Raine had promised her sister they'd come help out when her new baby was born. The hockey Team Seven had assured him they would continue on but now with two members out of play, things looked grim.

_Bringing Team Three down a few notches is now out of reach,_ he thought, _Dammit, but maybe the creative application of crazy glue to the 'trophy' would be just as good._

"Have to ask Vin and Ez about that."

_And now I'm talking to myself._

He got to the intersection of two hallways and stopped to look around, trying to remember where the best coffee was to be had.

"Hey, Buck, you lost?"

Buck turned to his left and saw Vin walking toward him, an old man in a ranger hat walking next to him.

"Hey, Vin, you remember where the good coffee is? Who's your friend here?" Buck smiled and waved.

"This here is Sgt. Buck Frobisher, RCMP, retired. He's one of the guys that helped those kids out at the museum today. He's here trying to find his friend that got hurt; I promised him I show him the way. JD's just down the hall," Vin said as he gestured over his shoulder.

"Well, pleased to meet you, I'm a Buck too. Buck Wilmington, ATF. You guys did a great job with those kids today." Buck shook Frobisher's hand enthusiastically. "So, it's just like the doc said, JD'll need to wait till morning?"Buck asked.

"Yeah, the x-ray showed two incomplete fractures, they want to wait 'til the swelling goes down and see if they need pinning or not. They gave JD something for the pain and now he's out like a light. The sergeant here was real helpful, kept JD distracted with all his stories." Vin said as he clapped Frobisher on the shoulder.

Buck gave the older man a second look. He realized that the sergeant had not let go of his hand and was staring at him intently. "Everything okay there, pard?" he chuckled.

"Wilmington?" Frobisher whispered. "Are you any relation to Cindy Wilmington, in Las Vegas?"

Buck pulled his hand away and stepped back, shocked. "Yes, she was my mother. You saying you knew her?"

Frobisher straightened up and smiled, his eyes bright. "Yes, I did. I'm honoured to say we were good friends once. Unfortunately, we lost contact; I always wondered what happened to her. She was one of the most wonderful women I ever met."

Vin looked back and forth between the two men uneasily. The only other time he recalled someone knowing about Buck's mother, they didn't have anything to say that Buck wanted to hear. He hoped this would go better for his friend.

"How did a Mountie meet my ma in Vegas?" Buck relaxed a bit, seeing the regard the Mountie had for his mother.

"Well, my partner and I had captured an escaped felon in the Territories. He was wanted on murder charges and had been living in Canada under an assumed name. He killed a bush pilot and injured several other people in his attempts to elude capture. After his extradition, Bob and I were asked to testify at his trial, to demonstrate his general disregard for human life. While there, we made your mother's acquaintance." Frobisher smiled wistfully. "Bob and Cindy were so taken with each other, it's a shame they couldn't reach an understanding. Cindy and I continued to correspond when suddenly her letters stopped and all of mine were returned. Why, it must have been forty-four years ago, we lost touch..."

Frobisher's eyes widened, his expression shocked, as Buck paled and staggered back a bit. "Bob? Robert Fraser. Your partner's name, was it Robert Fraser?" Buck's voice grew wild. Vin stepped to Buck's side to help steady his friend.

"Buck, who's Robert Fraser? What's going on?" Vin asked, very concerned and confused.

Frobisher spoke up. "Yes, my partner's name was Robert Fraser. He was my best friend and a better officer of the law you couldn't find." His expression had shifted from shock to one of deep compassion. "I swear we didn't know, young man. If we had..." Frobisher sighed and shrugged his shoulders, he knew all too well how useless might-have-beens could be.

Vin gave Buck's shoulder a little shake. "Buck, who's Robert Fraser?"

Buck stared at the man who had just shaken his entire world. "Robert Fraser's the name on my birth certificate. He's my father."


	5. Chapter 5

"I need to sit down," Buck breathed. He felt shaky. He felt shaken.

_Everything is wrong, this is weird. This was not what was supposed to happen today. Spent last night hanging out, playing cards at the ranch, woke up this morning, had fun teasing Ezra about his inability to be coherent before noon, had breakfast, practiced a little after lunch, played their game, had a hot date tonight with, what was her name, Maddie, did I even remember to call her to cancel..._

"Buck!"

_What?_

"Buck, calm down, you're shouting."

Vin looked freaked. _Why is Vin so scared?_

"Buck, you're thinking out loud. Pard, you gotta calm down, breathe, okay? I'm here, it's okay."

"Whoa, I'm shouting?"

"You were. It's okay, it's all okay." Vin used his 'talking down the suspect' voice. "The sergeant could be wrong, mistaken maybe..."

"No!" Buck yelled

"I beg your pardon, young man, I would never..." Frobisher protested.

"I know he's telling the truth! Mama told me!"

"She did?" Vin and Frobisher said at once.

Buck walked over to Frobisher and put his hands on the sergeant's shoulders. "My mama told me that she named me for my father's best friend. And unless this guy's a mind reader, there's no way he coulda known that or my father's name."

"You told him the man's name, Buck," Vin pointed out.

"Vin Tanner!" Buck's voice started to rise again.

"He has a point, son," Frobisher broke in. His voice cracked, tears running down his face. "I will give all my information, service number, whatever you need, so you and your friends can do a thorough background check. I want no doubts between us, especially now." Frobisher grew even more pale. "Oh, oh my. I have something very important to tell you, it almost slipped my mind..."

Buck swallowed, "Something more important than you knew my father? What, is he here or something?"

Frobisher opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and shook his head. "No, he's not, unfortunately. Perhaps we should get that coffee first. I've always found food to be a very good thing when you've undergone a shock."

 

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Ray was worried, tired, and sore. Fraser was still unconscious, the adrenaline of the afternoon had worn off hours ago, and he would swear on a stack of bibles that hospital chairs were designed deliberately to make more work for chiropractors.

_Where the hell is the sarge anyway? If he dinged the GTO, one Sgt Duncan 'Buck' Frobisher is not long for this world. And what if he forgets to feed Dief? The wolf had 'specific dietary needs' and couldn't live on donuts alone, as much as he would like to. What if some gung-ho animal control officer captured him? Or someone freaked out and called the cops and Dief got shot? What will I tell Fraser then?_

Ray rubbed his hand over his face. "Crap, crap, crap, crap. Fraser, could this day get any worse? Frobisher, Dief, and my car are MIA. You're still unconscious, making me worry like this is very aggre… agra... Dammit, Frase, I need you to wake up and help me, I can't remember the words without you."

Ray sighed and patted Fraser's hand. "I hope Buck shows up soon. With coffee. Lots of coffee."

 

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The boys had settled into the third floor waiting area. It had the best coffee in the hospital and the candy machine was restocked regularly. Vin made Buck drink some orange juice because that was what Nathan always made them do when they were stressed. Buck didn't even notice what he was drinking. He was too busy staring at Frobisher. Frobisher was staring into his coffee, desperately trying to figure out what to say.

Vin decided to take the bull by the horns. "Umm, so what brings you to Denver?"

Both Bucks turned to look at him with bewildered expressions.

"Hey, I know it's lame but you two have a lot to talk about and ya gotta start somewhere." Vin shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

"Cindy... She named you after me?" Frobisher whispered, hands visibly shaking.

Buck nodded solemnly. "Yeah, she did."

"I'm honoured. Truly, I am." Frobisher drew a deep, shuddering breath. "I suppose how I got here is as good a place to start as any."

"He's dead, isn't he? My father," Buck asked, his voice soft.

Frobisher's whole body slumped. "Yes, he is. Bob was murdered. Benton followed the trail to Chicago, where with the help of a Chicago detective named Ray Vecchio, he brought the murderer to justice. Robert had been betrayed by one of our own, and for his trouble, Benton was assigned to the consulate in Chicago. Effectively exiled."

Buck let out a strangled sound that may have been a sob. He put the juice bottle down beside him, pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and leaned back until his head rested on the wall behind him.

"Buck?" Vin hated this. He hated feeling so helpless. He didn't know what to do to help Buck and part of him kept wanting to run away, dragging Buck with him. He thought about getting angry at Frobisher, but he couldn't, this was obviously affecting the sergeant deeply too. He squelched the momentary flashes of cowardice and anger, and reached out his hand to Buck.

"No!" Buck jumped up from his seat, out of range of both men, "I'm okay, I'm okay. Really, I'll be fine. Just..." He ran his hands through his hair and gave his head a shake. He closed his eyes and drew another deep breath, "Who's Benton?"

"What? Pardon?" Frobisher and Vin were both startled by this apparent non sequitor.

"You kept sayin' Benton this and Benton that. Who's Benton?"

"Benton Fraser. He's... Well, he's Robert's son," Frobisher said softly.

Buck looked like he'd been kicked in the head, mouth agape, swaying slightly.

Vin walked cautiously over to him. "Buck, how you hangin' in there?"

"Son?" Buck said.

"Yes," Frobisher replied, rising to stand at Buck's side.

Buck blinked a few times. "Brother?"

Frobisher rubbed his eyebrow with his thumb. "Yes, yes he is your brother."

Buck closed his mouth with a snap and swallowed. He turned his head back and forth, looking at the two men standing with him. "Where? I want to see him. I need to see him. Now!"

"Yes, of course, once Vin shows us the way. " Sgt Frobisher straightened himself up, put his hat back on and patted Buck's shoulder. "Just please let me get some coffee for Ray and we shall go directly." Frobisher went to the coffee machine. "Oh, I mustn't forget the M&amp;M's too."

Vin felt the beginnings of headache coming on and his shoulder was starting to hurt, he'd had about as much as he could handle of this emotional rollercoaster, at least without some coffee for himself, "Who's Ray? And why does he need M&amp;M's?"

_M&amp;M's sound pretty good right now, come to think of it._

"Ray is Benton's partner. A good man, for a Yank. No offense intended, gentlemen." Frobisher had gotten the largest size coffee he could and had gone over to the candy machine.

"No offense, huh?" Vin snorted. "I'll grab myself some coffee and we'll just get this show on the road, okay?"

 

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Ray had had just about enough of this shit. Fraser was still unconscious, he hadn't had any coffee in hours and Frobisher still hadn't shown up with his friggin' car. _Maybe he forgot to feed Dief and got eaten._ Ray was contemplating drastic measures, like calling in a Paramountie striketeam or turning Ma Vecchio loose on Denver, when the door to the room opened. Ray stood up and reached for his gun.

_Crap! Not licensed to carry in the states anymore._

He went to the end of the bed, to put himself between Ben and whomever was coming in.

_Oh, oh, wait! What is that I'm smelling? Coffee!_

The coffee was being carried by a long-haired guy in a leather coat, who was favoring his left arm. A tall guy with a mustache and Sgt. Frobisher, carrying another cup of coffee, followed him in.

_Where are my damn glasses?_

"Buck! Where the hell have you been, buddy? Been worried about you, where's my car? That coffee better be for me. How's Dief? Where's Dief?" Ray reached out and gratefully took the coffee from Frobisher's hand.

"I got lost, Ray. I eventually found our hotel, parked the car there and got a taxi here. Dief is outside somewhere and in a terrible mood. Is Benton awake yet, there's someone here to meet him?" Frobisher patted his pockets, "Here's some M&amp;M's for you, and Dief reminded me to bring your glasses."

"Greatness and greatness. And your new friends are?" Ray put everything down on the bedside table by his chair and turned to face the strangers in the room. Until he knew who they were, he had no intention of letting his guard down, even if Frobisher thought they were okay.

"I'm Vin Tanner, ATF." The long-haired one said.

Frobisher guided the other man to the chair on the opposite side of the bed from Ray, "This is Buck Wilmington, also ATF. He's the son of a dear friend of mine, and after that things get complicated."

Tanner snorted at that and fell silent when he looked at the man in the bed.

"Complicated? How do you mean, complicated? There's lots of different kinds of complicated, Frobisher." Ray grabbed his glasses and struggled a bit putting them on. "Whoa."

Ray stared at the man with the mustache, the nurse's earlier words echoing in his mind, _he looks a lot like this guy who's in here all the time._ He really, really did. The same hair, same bone structure.

"Holy shit," Ray whispered.

 

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Buck hadn't heard or seen anything since he entered the room. He knew Vin and Frobisher were by him, he knew there was blond guy at the end of the bed, he knew they were talking. He felt himself being guided to a chair and sitting down. But he didn't hear anything or notice anything, he was completely focused on the man in the bed.

Same hair, though his was a little longer, same eyebrows, same cheekbones and chin. Skin a little paler than his, lips a little redder, nose a little shorter, no mustache.

He could see it, though. The resemblance. This was his brother.  
_His brother._

Buck felt something tentative rise up in him, something hopeful and shy. It was his brother lying before him and he didn't know whether to shout it from the rooftops or cry for all the time lost.

He reached out his hand and touched the skin on one cheek. He noticed the roughness where a small amount of stubble had grown. He noticed the intake of breath on contact. _Was that me or him inhaling?_ He noticed the head turn into his touch and felt the warm air of exhalation on his skin.

"My brother."


	6. Chapter 6

Vin heard Buck's whisper and had to blink back tears. He had never heard Buck sound like that before, halfway between heartbreak and singing Halleluiah. The Sarge had tears running down his face again, and the Ray guy with his glasses had sworn softly once and then just looked back and forth between the two men, brothers. He wished Chris was here.

_Shit, haven't called Chris, he doesn't know yet._

Vin finished his coffee, rose from his seat and went over to Buck.

"Hey, pard," he whispered, putting his hand on Buck's shoulder, "I'm gonna go check on JD and call Chris, if that's okay with you."

"Huh?" Buck looked up at Vin, his eyes still glazed. "JD? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Buck, everything is fine, I'm just gonna check on him and call Chris. You gonna be good here?" Vin gave Buck's shoulder a squeeze.

"I'm good, really good, just...Look at him, Vin," Buck reached out to hold his brother's hand. "You keep an eye on JD for me, okay? I'm kinda distracted here."

"Whatever you need, Buck." Vin released his hold on Buck and turned to Frobisher. "I'll be in room 302 if Buck needs anything. It's just down the hall, past the coffee machine."

Frobisher nodded and stepped back to let Vin past.

When Vin got back to JDs room, the first thing he did was call Chris.

 

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Chris realized that he was going way over the speed limit and slowed his truck down. His conversation with Vin was still running through his mind.

_Buck needs a friend right now._

Man says he knew Buck's pa too.

Buck's brother.

Buck was at the hospital, with possibly insane people filling his head with God-know's-what, and the last thing Chris needed was to get pulled over for speeding. He needed to know what was going on, definitely needed more information. He pulled over and got out his cell phone.

"Yes?" the voice on the other end of the line said.

"Ezra! Get your ass over to the hospital, I need you to get some information for me, I'll be staying with Buck 'til we get everything sorted out," Chris barked.

"What happened? Is Buck all right? I thought JD's injury wasn't that serious?" Ezra went from sounding slightly annoyed at the late interruption to very worried.

Chris sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "No, no nothing like that," he said in a softer tone. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's nothing medical. Vin just called me. Apparently there's a man, a retired Mountie, at the hospital with Buck now. Claims he knew Buck's parents."

"Mountie? Parents? As in plural?"

"Parents, as in plural. Man says Buck's father was also a Mountie. His partner, if you can believe it, and that Buck's got a brother now too. Supposed brother's laid up there. Vin said he's never seen Buck so freaked. I want you there to get their information, then head to the office and see what you can find. I want to make sure these people are on the up-and-up." Just the thought that someone might be messing with Buck in this fashion was enough to make Chris' blood boil.

"I shall be there directly. Actually, I believe it's my turn to buy the victuals for our usual bedside vigil, is it not?" Ezra sounded more composed, more focused than when he thought his friend may have been injured worse than he had originally believed.

"Yeah, food would be good. We'll meet in JD's room, 302. You got it?" Chris started up his truck.

"I'll be about 30-45 minutes," Ezra replied.

"Good." Chris closed his cell with a snap and started speeding again.

 

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Ezra had been just about to go to bed before the call came. It had been a long but satisfying day with his friends, marred only by JD's unfortunate injury, and now, he guessed, this inflammatory revelation. If Vin was worried enough to call in reinforcements, then Buck must be in a state. And if Buck was in a state, Chris would be a bear.

_Perhaps I should call Josiah. He'd want to know. He lives closer to the office. I'll call him with the information and be able to stay to run interference. And Buck should know we are all ready to be there for him._

Ezra nodded, satisfied with his reasoning, and dialed Josiah's number.

 

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Josiah was awoken from a very nice dream involving Bo Derek and was not happy about it.

"What? Buck's got a father? Why are there Mounties in Denver? Go to the office? Okay, okay. I'll go. But you better have some of those blintzes I like when I get to the hospital." Josiah shook his head and tried to process what he had just heard. He sighed and looked up to the ceiling, "You're laughing at us, aren't you, Lord?"

 

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Ezra thanked God that their favourite bakery was open 24 hours; everything had been available straight out of the oven. Josiah should be appeased. He parked at the entrance that would get him to JD's room the quickest. He reflected that it said a lot about their lives that he knew which hospital entrance to park at to gain access to the various departments in the fastest time. He wondered if it said that they were brave men, willing to sacrifice themselves for the public good, or that it said that they were a pack of unlucky bastards.

He was trying not to think about Buck. He told himself he was trying to make sure he didn't enter the situation with any preconceived notions. It was hard. _His father was a what?_ kept running through his mind, sounding slightly hysterical. _If I'm reacting this way to the news, how must Buck feel?_ Ezra pushed down his own reactions and tried to focus on what he wanted to accomplish; helping Buck discover if he really had found new family and keeping Chris from committing any felonies in the process.

As he balanced two boxes full of baked goods, his coat and his keys while shutting the car door, Ezra heard a low growl behind him. He slowly turned around, seeing a pair of eyes staring at him from between a car and a truck.

"I must confess my experience with canines to be rather limited," he told the slowly approaching shadow. "But I do believe this is the part where the feral beast comes into the light and is revealed to be a small, unthreatening animal, perhaps with a bow, and we all enjoy a hearty laugh."

The animal in question stepped into the light and was revealed to be a large, well-developed wolf, no bow, sniffing the air and staring intently at Ezra.

"So much for the theory of narrative convention," he said, and took a step back.

The wolf took a step forward, still scenting the air.

Ezra took another step back.

The wolf took another step forward and let out a plaintive whine.

Ezra heard a stomach gurgle. He was certain it was not his own.

The wolf sat down and looked embarrassed.

Ezra smiled, relaxing. "Would you perhaps like a doughnut, sir wolf?"

The wolf looked at the bakery boxes hopefully.

Ezra put his coat down on the hood of his car and put the boxes down. He opened the top box and extracted a glazed buttermilk doughnut. "Will this suffice?" The wolf barked in what Ezra assumed was an affirmative manner and Ezra threw it to him. The wolf caught the doughnut in midair and actually ate it slowly, for a wolf, appearing to savor every bite. Ezra shook his head and laughed. "I'm in a parking lot feeding doughnuts to a wolf in the middle of the night, while my friend is the hospital, possibly sitting at the bedside of his long-lost brother. Could this situation get any stranger?"

The wolf snorted and gave him a look that seemed to say 'you'll be sorry you asked that.'

"I'll have you know, sir wolf, that I am not a superstitious person. I've always felt that we make our own luck." Ezra squared his shoulders and began to gather his things. "So, if you'll please excuse me, I'll be on my way."

The wolf let out a puppyish bark for attention and tilted his head to one side. He looked meaningfully at the box, back at Ezra, and then sighed dejectedly. The scene reminded Ezra of Dickens. He laughed and got another buttermilk doughnut out of the box.

"Please, sir, can I have some more, huh? All right, but this is the last one. I must ascertain whether my friends are in good health and spirits. I bid you good night, sir wolf." Ezra again turned to gather his things and when he looked back the wolf was gone.

He walked to the hospital doors and was waiting for two nurses to exit when a streak of white fur went flying past, almost knocking the nurses over.

"Hey! Was that a dog?"

"Mister, there aren't any animals allowed in the hospital!"

Ezra thought fast. "I'm so terribly sorry," he said, flashing the ladies one of his best grins. "That's my cousin's dog, Oliver. Never seen a more devoted animal. I'll make sure he is removed from the premises immediately, please don't worry yourselves."

He hurried past the nurses, blushing. _I just had to ask how this day could get stranger._

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Ezra entered JD's room looking tired and disgruntled, but Vin was glad to see him and the boxes of food he was carrying. He was not so sure he was glad to see a wolfdog follow him into the room, though.

"Ezra! What do you think you're doing, bringing a dog in here!" Vin scolded as quietly as he could, grabbing the top box. He skirted the wolfdog and put the box down on the table by the window.

"Why I'm fine, Mister Tanner, thank you for asking. Please don't trouble yourself, my new friend Oliver just led me on a merry jape through the halls of this hospital and has caused me no embarrassment whatsoever. I swear, Oliver must be deaf, or taking lessons from you, the way he never listens to anything I say." Ezra put the other box on the bed by JD's feet and sat down with a huff.

The wolf let out a bark that sounded like a laugh and began to search the room, sniffing everything he could reach.

Vin turned to watch the wolf, leaning against the table, his mouth full of his favourite jelly doughnut and said, "Thoufef?"

Ezra opened his box and pulled out a chocolate croissant, "Your fulsome expression of sympathy has left me speechless." He took a bite of his pastry, closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure. "This makes all these troubles seem worth it. How's JD, any change?"

Vin shook his head no and swallowed, "No, been sleeping like a baby. I said, 'The wolf is deaf?' Where did you find him?"

Ezra cast a baleful glance at the wolf, "I met him outside, fed him two doughnuts and ended up chasing him around the hospital for the last fifteen minutes. It's been a brief, but eventful, acquaintance. Where's Buck? Has Chris arrived yet?"

"Nope, Chris hasn't shown up yet. I went down the hall to check on Buck 'bout twenty minutes ago, he's still sitting, staring. Never seen him so quiet. It's the damndest thing," Vin looked up at Ezra ruefully, "I didn't know what else to do."

Ezra went over to Vin and put a hand on Vin's shoulder, "You did the right thing. I can think of no one else that Buck would want here at a time like this. You shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Now, which room is Buck in? I want to see this long lost brother for myself."

"Well, it's a sight to see, that's for sure. " Vin stood and stretched his back. "Never seen two people look so much like brothers." Vin arched an eyebrow at Ezra. "There's a distinct similarity in their appearances," he said, emulating Ezra's accent. Ezra just smirked back at him.

"They are in 312, down the hall. You should take the wolf with you, I think it's theirs anyway," Vin said. He bent down to scratch the scruff of the wolf's neck. "You're Diefenbaker, aren't you, boy? The sarge told me a lot about you." Dief blissfully leaned into the scratch.

"Diefenbaker? Like the prime minister?" Ezra asked. "Why am I not all that surprised to learn that this animal is already involved in the surrealism of the evening?"

Vin snorted in amusement and continued to scratch. Ezra shook his head at both of them and went to get himself another pastry.

 

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"What the hell is a dog doing in here?" Chris whispered.

Vin and Ezra stood and faced their boss. Chris was staring at Diefenbaker like he could not believe what he was seeing.

"That's not a dog, that's Diefenbaker. He's a deaf half-wolf that works with Buck's brother," Vin said.

Chris looked at Vin like he had lost his mind. "Buck's brother, huh? What, they make one-minute genetic tests now? Just piss on the strip and sixty seconds later, you know if you're related? How the hell do you know this guy is Buck's brother? He could be anybody, anybody at all and just because some goddamn Mountie says it's so doesn't mean it's true!" Chris moved steadily toward Vin, his voice a dangerous hiss, until he was scant inches from Vin's face, looking as furious now as he did when something had gone wrong with one of their operations.

"You ain't seen 'em yet. Hard to doubt what you see with your own eyes," Vin said calmly, looking unaffected by Chris' outburst. "So you done yet? 'Cause the way I see it, this is about all the freaking out you're gonna get to do here."

"Freaking out! _I am not freaking out!_ I'm starting to think I'm the only sane one here, what with you two sitting on your asses, feeding doughnuts to the friendly neighbourhood wolf! We should be finding out who these people are and figuring out what we are going to do..."

"I know you're scared for Buck and it's getting you angry," Vin said. "Hell, I felt the same way, but I've seen these people. You just wait, the Sarge is on the up-and-up, and Buck needs you, don't scare 'em off."

Chris was speechless; Vin had stood up to him before, for sure, but never like this. Then again, they had never been in a situation like this one. Chris sighed, all the tension leaving his body, "Do you have any idea what this will do to Buck if it's not true?"

Vin smiled. "It's true, pard. That Benton guy, just you wait and see. You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good. " Chris looked around the room. _One sleeping agent with a broken wrist, a smart-assed sharpshooter, a conman with powdered sugar on his face, a deaf wolfdog, and "a partridge in a pear tree."_ Chris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew better than to even _think_ about how this day could get worse. He noticed Ezra staring at him.

"You got something to say, Standish?"

Ezra pointed to the box half-hidden behind Vin, "I brought you crullers."

 

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Chris felt better after eating his crullers and seeing for himself that JD was okay, or going to be okay. He had considered calling Nathan, but that would only worry the medic and it wasn't like he was going to be able to come back right away. He and Raine had only been gone three days, and her sister was going to need more help than that.

Chris brushed JD's bangs off his forehead, gave his shoulder a gentle pat, and turned to Vin. "You gonna be okay? Want Ezra or me to get you something before we go?"

Vin shook his head no. "Unless you got the recliner in your truck, I'm good." He settled into the small hospital chair and propped his feet up on the one Ezra just vacated.

Ezra held open the door. "Mr. Larabee? Sir Diefenbaker? Shall we?"

Chris followed Diefenbaker out the door. "So where are we going?"

"It's just down the hall, 312. Did you want to stop and get some coffee on our way?" Ezra asked, walking beside Chris.

"No, just want to get to Buck, is all."

"Buck has your support and we are all here for both of you, you needn't worry, Mr. Larabee. I've also taken the liberty of calling on Josiah. He is probably already waiting at the office for me to call and begin the background checks. I thought it would be a more efficient use of our time and this way Josiah is in the loop. He would be most upset if he was unable to be here for our brother."

Chris looked out the corner of his eye at Ezra. "Our brother, Ezra?"

Ezra straightened his cuffs and looked straight ahead. "Yes, our brother, Mr. Larabee."

Chris smiled slightly. "It was a good idea, calling Josiah." Ezra nodded in acknowledgment.

Diefenbaker began to snuff the floor then took off down the hall, stopping and circling a few times in front of the last door on the left.

"Well, it appears Diefenbaker has discovered our destination," Ezra said.

Chris stood in front the door to room 312 for a second and took a deep breath. "Here we go," he said as he pushed the door open.

Chris did a quick scan of the room, to his left there was an elderly man holding a ranger hat on his knee, the Mountie obviously. Sitting at the far side of the bed was a skinny guy with coke-bottle glasses, no idea who he was, and on the side of the bed closest to him, with his back to the door, was Buck. He was hunched over, holding the left hand of the man motionless on the bed. Chris stepped into the room and finally got a good look at the face of Benton, what was his last name?

"Holy shit," Chris said.

The guy with the glasses snorted. "That's what I said." Ray bent down to grab Dief by the scruff. "Dief, how'd you get in here? You know you ain't supposed to be in hospitals. Ray Kowalski, Ben's partner. That's Buck Frobisher. And you are?" Ray stood up and held out his hand. Frobisher just nodded and turned back to watch his friend's sons. Dief sniffed at Buck and gave him a brief nuzzle, then went over to give Frobisher a lick on the hand, the sergeant just smiled slightly and rubbed Dief's head.

Chris stepped over and shook it, saying, "Chris Larabee, Buck's boss. This here's Ezra Standish, one of our teammates. 'Scuse me." Chris went to stand behind Buck and dropped a hand to his shoulder. "You okay, Buck?"

Buck turned to look up at the person touching him. "Chris! I'm glad you're here, old dog!" Buck let go of Ben's hand to surge up out of his seat and envelop Chris in a bear hug. "I got so much to tell you..." Buck started to choke up and stopped talking, still clinging to Chris.

Chris hugged his friend back hard. "I can see that, big dog, I can see that. What say we find some place quiet and you can tell me all about it, huh?" Chris pushed on Buck's shoulders a bit, so he could look Buck in the face. Buck's eyes were bright with unshed tears and he was biting his lip to keep from crying. The big man just nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, then. Ezra, you get their information and call Josiah, Buck and me will be back as soon as we can." Chris slipped one arm around Buck's shoulder and led him from the room.

Ezra found it hard to stop staring at Ben. "Vin said there was a resemblance, but I had no idea it would be so, so..."

"Bizarre, uncanny, unnerving? Yeah, I got it. Been sitting here looking at it for the last couple of hours. Plenty of time to think up all kinda words. So is this the part where you show me yours and I show you mine?" Ray reached into his coat and pulled out a notepad and pen.

Ezra had been staring at Benton and only half listening to what Ray was saying. "Show you what?"

Ray shook his head and smiled. "Your badges. I'm assuming you want to run background checks on all of us and you'll forgive me if I return the favor, won'tcha?" Ray pulled out his id and waggled it in the air. Ezra chuckled and drew out his id as well.

 

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Room 309 was empty, so Chris nudged Buck inside and locked the door behind him. Buck sat down heavily on the bed. He looked up at his friend, looking completely dejected. "I thought I knew, Chris, I thought I knew everything and so I never looked, and now I'll never meet him!" Buck buried his head in his hands and sobbed.

Chris sat on the bed beside Buck and held on as best as he could. "Thought you knew what, Buck? What did you think you knew?" Buck just sobbed harder and buried his face in Chris's chest.

After a few minutes, Buck's breathing began to level out and he pulled himself away from Chris. He looked Chris straight in the eye, like he was trying by force of will alone to make Chris understand. "I thought I knew who my father was, why my mom never really talked about him." He sniffled a bit and got up to grab the box of tissues on the other side of the bed.

"After Mama, umm, died," Buck took a huge breath. "I was going through her things, looking for something, anything to go on. And so I found this picture in a box in the back of her closet, it was old and creased and faded. It was of my mama, when she was young, with this guy, his face was obscured, and on the back it said "Bobby F and Me", it was dated the year before I was born." Buck blew his nose loudly and sat back down beside Chris.

Chris just patiently waited for Buck to start talking again.

After a couple of deep, shuddering breaths Buck continued. "So I give the picture to the cops, and after a few weeks I go track down the lead investigator, good guy, didn't treat me like shit cause of what Mama did for a living. He tells me he's real sorry but that the case has gone cold, there's nothing else they can do. So I ask him for a copy of her file and he gives it to me." Buck paused for a minute and leaned into Chris. Chris put his arm back around Buck and said, "I'm sorry they never caught her killer. We can look into it sometime, if you want."

Buck gave Chris a wan smile. "Couldn't hurt, but I got to deal with the living first. In the file was the picture, they had tried to figure out who the man was and the closest they could find to 'Bobby F' was a Bob Frasier, from Minnesota. He was small-time muscle, worked security at the Palms. He died in a drunk driving accident when I was two. And I figured this must be him, my father. Sure the name was spelled different but my mama never could spell."

"He was alive all that time and I never knew, never looked and now he's dead and I'll never get to meet him!" Buck whispered brokenly and began to cry again.

Chris did the only thing he could think of, he held on and tried to make sure Buck knew he wasn't alone.

 

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Ezra and Ray had flipped a coin to see who would go and call for background checks first, neither one wanting to leave Ben alone, since Frobisher had finally fallen asleep soon after Chris and Buck had left. Ray had won the toss and got directions from Ezra to the closest pay phone. On his way there he got the number for the fax machine closest to Ben's room.

Ray got out his credit card and thanked God he didn't work for this man anymore or his ass would be grass for what he was about to do.

"Harding Welsh's residence, this had better be good," a very crabby voice answered.

"Frannie! What the hell are you doing at the lieu's house at this hour!" Ray was so shocked he practically squeaked.

"Shut up, Ray! I'm a big girl and you aren't my brother anymore! Besides, if you ever called once in a while you might know that Harding and I have been seeing each other." Frannie sounded completely unrepentant.

"Frannie, I know, but with the lieu? That's, that's just...Nevermind! Put Welsh on, it's important, I really need a favor." Ray screwed his eyes shut; he did not need this now.

"Is Benny okay? Are you guys in jail? 'Cause there is no way Harding is going to bail you out at this time of night!" Frannie sounded like she was starting to work her way up into a real rant.

"Frannie!" Ray cut her off. "Does Raymundo know about this thing you got going with the lieu?"

"Harding, honey, the phone's for you. It's Ray. No, the other Ray."

Ray breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kowalski, image my complete lack of surprise to find it is you who has called at this uncivilized hour."

Ray winced, he had hear Welsh sound tired, disgruntled and exasperated before, but rarely did he sound as pissed as he did now. "I know it's late, I'm sorry, but Benton has a bit of a situation running here and I need you to run a couple of background checks for me."

"Oh, and what has our Canadian friend gotten himself into this time?"

"Well, it's complicated," Ray began. "Umm, well, there was this accident and Ben is in the hospital, just a concussion. So the Sarge was supposed to drive over in the GTO, and well, he ran into this guy, see?"

"The short version, Kowalski."

"This is the short version, I'm almost done. So, the Sarge meets this guy and Frobisher knew the guy's mother in days of yore and, BAM! Ben's got a long-lost older brother. You should see 'em, sir. It's more weird than usual."

"So let me get this straight. Constable, sorry, Corporal Fraser, has a concussion and is in hospital. Why, thank you, Francesca, I had forgotten I had that in the pool. Then you let Frobisher drive your beloved car, which no one would bet on, by the way. This led to the startling revelation that Fraser has found yet another long-lost sibling. The Sergeant Fraser was apparently a very prolific man." Welsh's voice kept getting drier, which Ray had thought impossible. Ray could also hear Frannie yelling in the background that she had won.

_Figures that finding an unknown relative was something Frannie would bet on._

"That is essentially it, yes sir. I need to run background checks on the possible brother and his friends. They are ATF, is that going to be a problem?" Ray was starting to get the feeling that he was still going to be paying for this, big time.

"It should not present a problem, Kowalski, if it does I'll be sure to let you know. Now I'm assuming you have all the pertinent details I may need to run these checks for you? Some coffee would be lovely, thank you, Francesca." Welsh at least sounded more awake now.

"Yeah, I got everything right here, sir."

"Good, then fax it to my office and I'll get over there and see what I can find for you."

"Thank you, lieu, thank you so much, really. I'll get this over to you right now." Ray was relieved; he had thought this was going to be much harder.

"And, Kowalski, don't think I'll be forgetting about this anytime soon." The threat in Welsh's voice was unmistakable.

Ray winced, he knew this had been too easy. "Sir, yes, sir. I understand."

 

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Buck had finally stopped crying and was now just resting his head on Chris' shoulder, both men sitting in comfortable silence.

"Suppose it's about time I cleaned myself up and we get out of here, huh?" Buck said as he stood up.

Chris stood up and stretched a bit. "No rush, you sure you're gonna be good?"

Buck gave Chris a grin. It wasn't up to his usual standards, but it was good. "Hell, my family just got bigger, Chris. I'm great! Well, I'm gonna be great. Just give me a minute to wash up and we'll head back."

Chris could hear the water running in the bathroom and took a deep breath. "Well, so far, so good," he whispered to himself.

As Buck came out of the bathroom, there was a knock on the door. Chris went over to unlock it, letting Ezra inside.

"Mr. Wilmington, I trust you are well?" Ezra anxiously examined his friend.

"I'm good, Ezra, thanks for asking." Buck was touched; he hadn't realized that Ezra had been here.

"I'm very happy to hear that," Ezra said. "It seems it falls to me to report that Corporal Fraser woke up soon after his friend, Ray, returned to the room."

"My brother's awake?" Buck said nervously.

"Yes."

"Well then! Let's get going!" Buck grabbed his jacket out of the bathroom and headed for the door, pushing his way past Ezra and Chris. He stopped in the hall and looked around. "Umm?" he looked over his shoulder at his friends. Ezra pointed to the door across the hall. Buck smiled his thanks.

When Buck entered the room, Ray was sitting on the bed facing Ben, who was sitting up.

Ben looked up at the man entering his room. He stared intently at Buck's face, finally looking into his eyes. "Do I know you?" his voice was still a bit raspy from sleep.

Buck beamed and stuck out his hand, "Not yet, but you will."


	7. Chapter 7

Ben felt horrible. His head hurt, his limbs felt lethargic, and his nostrils were raw from the smell of disinfectant. He sighed deeply.

_What happened to me?_ He felt himself starting to drift back into the darkness again. Ray noticed Ben start to move and sat beside him on the bed.

"Benton, buddy? You gonna wake up for me?" Ben felt a warm hand touch his cheek.  
_Ray?_ Ben heard a moan, and realized it was his.

"Come on, buddy, open your eyes for me. Got a concussion, you know the drill." Ray's voice was soft.

_Concussion? Why?_ He hissed in pain as he tried to shake his head.

"Children," he said. He remembered children crying, "Ray?"

"S'okay, Frase, you got 'em out fine," Ben felt a gentle touch across his forehead. "You got them out, your hard head the only thing what got hurt." Ray squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Shall I go fetch Mr. Wilmington, or would you prefer I wait until your friend is more cognisant of his surroundings?" Ben tensed, he didn't recognize this voice. It was cultured, with an accent he knew he should recognize.

"Do you think he's ready for this?" Ray did not sound concerned about the new voice, so Ben relaxed.

"Whether he is or not, I'm sure he would want to be informed immediately about Corporal Fraser's change in condition," the new, _Southern United States, possibly Georgia_, voice said.

Ben heard Ray sigh, "Got a point, there. I know I'd wanna be." The bed shifted, "Gotta wake up the sarge too."

"Oh, yes, Sgt. Frobisher," the Southern voice said, "Is he always so subdued? From what Vin said I was expecting the sergeant to be a bit more...Well, vocal."

Ben heard Ray snort. "No doubt. He usually is. A lot more. Inuit this, and pemmican that. This is slightly more wildly bizarre than some of the stuff we usually get into. Kinda concerned, I think he feels like he's personally responsible for this."

_Responsible for what, Ray?_ Ben struggled to awaken fully. _What is going on?_

"Ben, Benny, calm down," Ray tried to soothe him. "What's gotten into you?"

"Perhaps the corporal understood more of our conversation than we thought," the Southern voice speculated.

Ben felt Ray shift closer. "Makes as much sense as anything. Frase, buddy, you gotta relax, Frobisher's here, he's just fine. Snoring a bit, but good."

"Said -- worried, Ray." Ben tried to open his eyes, then screwed them shut against the light. _What is going on?_

Ray sighed. "Lots happened while you were sleeping, buddy. Big things. The sarge made a new friend and now we're kinda in a situation. You just worry about waking up. I got the sarge handled."

Ben struggled to sit up. "Whoa, there, what'cha think you're doing?" Ben felt Ray's hands supporting his back and side.

"I want to see, want to move. Hate… hospitals," Ben tried opening his eyes again, the light was more bearable this time. "Water?"

Ray hopped off the bed and grabbed the plastic pitcher off the nightstand, "You got it. Be right back." He went into the bathroom.

Ben looked around the room, trying to get his bearings. A well-dressed man with reddish brown hair and green eyes was standing at the foot of the bed, Frobisher was sleeping in a chair in the far corner of the room. Ray was sitting on the bed beside him and something warm and wet licked his hand.

"Diefenbaker? How did you get in here?" Ben was definitely beginning to sense that he was missing something about this situation.

"I'm afraid I'm somewhat responsible for that," the stranger said, "Allow me to introduce myself, Ezra Standish, ATF, at your service." The ATF agent looked abashed, "Your friend here got past me at the entrance. And, well, I think your friends would prefer to explain further." Ben blinked slowly at the man, his slightly addled state making it hard to understand what was being said.

Ray returned with the pitcher and poured out a cup. "Listen, I got this. You go get your friend and we'll get this over with. Like ripping off a band-aid." Ben took the cup with both hands, the cool water a welcome sensation on his throat.

The agent straightened his sleeves. "Are you sure? Ah don't want to leave you overwhelmed."

Ray snorted. "Overwhelmed? Not by a sleeping sergeant, a concussed Mountie and a wolf. Takes more than that. You go. Let's get this show on the road. Pitter-patter, Mr. Standish."   
Ben watched as the man gave Ray a two-fingered salute off the brim of an imaginary hat and left the room.

Ray settled himself back down on the bed. "Ben, buddy, you sure you okay? You look a little out to lunch."

"I will be fine, Ray. I am just trying to understand what has transpired. The children are out of danger?"

"Yes, buddy. Like I said, your hard head was the only thing that got knocked." Ray patted Ben's knee.

Ben nodded carefully. "That is good. And you are worried about Frobisher feeling responsible for what?"

Ray shook his head. "Stupid steel-trap brain. Umm, Frobisher met someone here he knows, well, he knew his ma. And then," Ray snorted a little. "Then things get 'complicated'" Ben could hear the quotation marks around the word. Ray looked up at Ben through his eyelashes, "It's kinda a Maggie-ish situation, but the sarge can explain better than me."

Ben finished his water and handed the cup to Ray. _Maggie-ish? What does Maggie have to do with this?_ He was still trying to process everything when the room door opened.

A man walked in: tall, dark hair, casual clothes, his jacket in hand. Ben looked up at his face. A mustache, straight brows, laugh lines, all seeming familiar. Ben looked into the man's eyes and felt a warm wash of recognition.

"Do I know you?"

The man's face lit up as he smiled. He stepped forward, holding out his hand, "Not yet, but you will."

 

*****DS*****M7*****DS*****M7*****DS*****M7*****DS*****M7*****DS*****M7*****DS*****M7*****

 

Ben shook the man's hand, unable to stop himself from staring. He really felt like he should remember this person, but could not place the face at all. Behind him, Agent Standish and a tall blond walked into the room. Agent Standish nodded to Ben and whispered into his companion's ear. The man made an affirmative noise and Agent Standish left the room.

"My name is Buck, Buck Wilmington. I'm an ATF agent." Buck pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down." And I have been wanting to talk to you for _hours_."

"I am unaware that I have been involved in anything that may be of interest to the ATF, Agent Wilmington." Ben's confusion grew. He turned to his friend. "Ray? What is all this about?"

Buck was not about to be put off now. "Please, call me Buck. I know this must be confusing for ya, had a few knocks on the head myself. This ain't got nothing to do with work, this is much more...I just don't know where to begin!" Buck couldn't stop himself from smiling; his brother was awake at last. Ben found himself grinning back, the ATF agent's enthusiasm was so infectious, he couldn't help responding to it.

Ray patted Ben's knee again. "We're gonna need the sarge's help for this, buddy." He got up off the bed and walked over to Frobisher. "Hey, Frobisher, wakey, wakey. Ben's up. Time to tell your story." Ray gently grasped Frobisher's shoulder.

Frobisher started, looking around confusedly. He squinted up at Ray. "Benton awake?"

"Yup," Ray smiled reassuringly at Frobisher. "Just remember to breathe, Sarge, you'll be fine."

"I'll have you know, Mr. Kowalski, that I am always fine," Frobisher grumped. He rubbed his hands over his face, looked up and felt his heart just about stop. Ben and Buck, sitting together, their eyes so blue, looking so much like their father.

_Oh, Bob, I wish you could see them together. I wish you were here. So I could beat the tar out of you for leaving me here to explain all this alone!_

Frobisher got up and went to the bed, taking Ray's place beside Ben. He again looked at the two men before him. Frobisher had spent all his time while waiting for Ben to wake up trying to figure out what to say, where to begin.

"How are you feeling, Ben? Clearheaded yet?" Frobisher winced at his cowardice, he knew stalling for time would not make this conversation any easier.

Ben was starting get very annoyed. There was obviously something happening here, with the sergeant and this ATF agent in the middle. "Sergeant Frobisher, I assure you I am sufficiently recovered to deal with whatever it is everyone seems so concerned about." Frobisher raised his eyebrows at Ben's tone, Ray just laughed.

Everyone looked at him. Ray shrugged and said, "If he's okay enough to get snippy, he's going to be fine."

Frobisher shook his head and sighed, "Benton, this is Buck Wilmington. He is the son of an old friend of mine, Cindy Wilmington. I met her in Las Vegas."

Ben screwed up his face in confusion. "I thought Chicago and now this trip was the furthest south you'd ever been?"

Frobisher nodded his head. "I promised your father I would never speak of the trip. You see, we went to Las Vegas to testify against a man we had apprehended in the Territories. While there, we made the acquaintance of some of the local constabulary. They seemed to enjoy poking fun at us yokels," Frobisher smiled in remembrance. "And they decided one night to take us to see one of the big casino shows. We had never seen anything like it, it was truly extraordinary. There was one girl in the chorus line, tall, blue eyes, the brightest smile I'd ever seen. It was Cindy, and I had never seen your father taken with anyone like that before. I don't think he had ever felt that strongly about anyone in his life up to that point."

Buck straightened up and paid closer attention to what Frobisher was saying, he hadn't met many people who knew his mother when she had been young. And to hear that his father had had real feelings for his mother was just... He never realized before how much he needed to know that.

Chris noticed Buck's change in posture and dropped his hand to Buck's shoulder, smiling. He had seen pictures of Cindy Wilmington in her heyday and had always thought she was a gorgeous woman.

Frobisher laughed. "You should have seen the detectives faces when your father... He somehow talked his way backstage. He was so determined but when Bob finally found Cindy he began to stutter and stumble his way through the most painful invitation to dinner I have ever heard. He couldn't even look her in the eye, and really couldn't figure out where else he could look, given the outfit she was wearing. When she said yes, I though Bob's face would split, he was grinning so hard. And the detectives. Flabbergasted. Completely at sea. For the rest of the week, unless we were in court, they were together."

Ben's mind was awhirl. The sergeant talking about a trip to Las Vegas that he knew nothing about; Ray talking about Maggie, this man who felt that he knew, even though he was beginning to believe he never met him before..._Maggie-ish situation? OH, oh Dear Lord..._

"Cindy was one of the warmest, kindest people it has ever been my honour to know. She and I became close friends. She nursed me through a broken heart," Frobisher wiped away a tear. "And she never made me feel unwelcome, even when it was obvious that she and Bob wanted to be alone. More than once I ended up staying longer than I intended too, just to devil him. I thought Bob was going to shoot me, but we had left our guns in the Territories."

"When?" Ben interrupted, no longer able to wait. Everyone jumped. "When did this happen?!" He was loud, almost hysterical.   
Buck grabbed his brother's hand. "It's okay, pard, settle down." He understood exactly what Ben's concern was, it was one of the first things he had thought of when he learned he had a brother, "I'm turning 45 this year, how about you?"

Ben pulled his hand away and started at Buck, "I'm turning 41. That means..." Ben looked around, realizing what he had just done. He looked up at Buck. "Oh, I'm so sorry, my behaviour is..."

"Completely understandable. You needed to know he didn't cheat on your mama, I get that." Buck reached out for Ben's hand again. Ben looked at the offered hand and then studied Buck's face.

Hair was longer, the mustache was...very striking. Ben had never bothered to grow one. Truthfully, he always thought it made his father look silly, but it seemed to suit Buck well. Same general bone structure, similar deep blue eyes. Skin darker from more exposure to sun and wind, laugh lines more deeply etched. But the sense of knowing, the warmth of familiarity where still there. He took Buck's hand.

"You're my brother?"

Buck grasped Ben's hand with both of his. "Yup, that's what the sarge here thinks. And I ain't found no reason to doubt him."

Both men turned to Frobisher. "What happened next, Sarge?" Buck asked.

"Yes, well, as I was saying." Frobisher gave Ben a quelling look and said, "For the better part of a week, Bob and Cindy were inseparable. They talked about everything, their lives, their dreams, what it was like for each other growing up." Frobisher looked down at his hands. "And then came the day before we were to return to the territories."

"Bob was so excited, he had gone off by himself that morning, met me at the court house looking like the cat that got the cream. Keep patting his breast pocket and tapping the side of his nose. He went straight to find Cindy after we were done that day." Frobisher's tone of voice was not encouraging.

"Bob returned to the hotel about three hours later. He looked terrible, like he had been crying, never known Bob to cry. I couldn't get anything out of him and when I pressed, he punched me in the face. So I left him there and went to find Cindy, see if she could tell me what was going on." Frobisher sighed and looked at the ceiling, the fake plant beside the bed, Diefenbaker, anything but their faces. "She was at her apartment, her roommate let me in. She had gotten back about an hour before and hadn't stopped crying since she got there. It took me, oh at least twenty minutes to get her to calm down enough to talk to me. Bob had proposed and Cindy had refused him."

Frobisher made a point of looking right into Buck's eyes. "I'm not sure Bob really understood Cindy. She had big dreams, had never lived outside of a city before. Bob just expected that she'd pack up and run away with him to the north. It stung his pride when she said no. She said she had tried to explain, but that Bob had just left, not looking back. Cindy told me she was afraid to move so far from all she had known, to learn to live in such a different environment, to be alone so much. Bob had told her everything, trying to entice her to come, but it just reinforced to her how different they were. She said..."

Buck interrupted Frobisher, his voice sounding far away, lost in memory, "She said she never could stand the cold." He smiled ruefully. "I asked her once, when I was little, what my father was like, why he wasn't with us. She said he was a good man and I should never be angry at him for not being around, 'cause it was her fault he wasn't with us in the first place. Told me that it wouldn't have worked out between them because they were such different people and she never could stand the cold."

**Author's Note:**

> On my lj there's an eighth part, you can read it if you want, but I've decided to write the next section as it's own story, making this the first in a series, even if it's the only story in it so far.
> 
> The inspiration for "Never Could Stand The Cold" was two icons by sara_merry99 that got me thinking about the likeness between Benton and Buck. I posted them with the first part here: http://tygermama.livejournal.com/1407.html if you want to see them
> 
> The publication date is set from the day the first part was posted.


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